The present invention relates to improvements in knot tying implements, and in particular to a novel tool useful in tying certain knots in fishing line and the like.
The use of fishing lines made of synthetic monofilament material presents certain problems not encountered with lines made of softer material such as braided fibers. Heavy monofilament and similar lines are somewhat stiff and also have smooth surfaces, therefore requiring the use of specialized knots in order to prevent slippage and to resist loosening of the knots during use.
Most of the knots useable to form a loop at the end of such a line or to join separate pieces of such line together require wrapping several turns of the line around a standing part of the line, inserting the end of the line where the knot is being tied through the interior of the wrapped turns, and thereafter drawing the entire knot tight. If such a knot is initially tied loosely, it is very difficult to thread the end of the piece of line through the wrapped turns to complete tying the knot. On the other hand, if the turns are wrapped loosely, it is difficult to hold the loops of the knot straight to prevent tangling of the knot at it is tightened.
Several devices have been provided to assist in tying secure knots in such fishing line and the like, for example, those disclosed by Thomas et al U.S. Pat. No. 2,697,624, Smith, Sr. U.S. Pat. No. 2,758,858, Russell U.S. Pat. No. 2,992,029, Frost et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,326,586, Stephens U.S. Pat. No. 3,494,648, and Smythe U.S. Pat. No. 3,837,691. The Thomas et al, Frost et al, Stephens, and Smythe patents all disclose knot tying aids including a member around which a line can be wrapped having a groove defined therein for permitting the end of a line to be slipped through the turns of line wrapped around the member. However, these devices all suffer from the fact that the member around which a line may be wrapped is of a generally uniform size along its entire useable length. As a result, when a knot formed on the device of any of these patents is initially removed from the device, it still may not be sufficiently tight to prevent tangling during completion of tightening the knot.
While the Smith, Sr. and Russell patents disclose knot tying devices which are tapered in one lateral dimension to a smaller size at the end of the device from which the knot being tied is removed, the lateral dimension perpendicular thereto is essentially constant and the groove formed therein of constant depth. Consequently, the magnitude of the latter dimension must be compromised between providing a groove deep enough to slip the end of the line through the loops, on the one hand, and minimizing the size of the loops as the knot is slipped off the end of the device, neither of which may be served satisfactorily.
Tying a knot of the sort contemplated in fishing line results in a loose end extending from the knot once the knot has been fully tightened. It is usually desirable to cut off such an end close to the knot to help avoid the knotted portion of the line becoming caught in seaweed, or becoming snarled in another portion of the fishing line. This is particularly desirable where two lengths of line are joined to one another, in order to prevent turbulence or accumulation of seaweed, etc., around the knot which could make the otherwise nearly invisible line apparent to a fish.
When a fishhook has been poorly made, or after it has become snagged during use, the eye loop of the hook may not be tightly closed. Although it is possible to tighten such a loop with conventional tools such as pliers, the jaws of pliers are not adapted to grip the eye of a fishhook securely enough to prevent slippage during tightening. As a result, during tightening of its eye a fishhook may slip from the pliers, and injure the fisherman, or at least make the task more difficult.
What is needed, then, is a tool to facilitate the tying of secure knots in monofilament and other hard to handle types of fishing line and the like. Preferably such a tool could also be used to perform other tasks relating to attaching lines to hooks, including holding a fishhook as a knot is pulled tight, clipping the end of a line close to a knot, and tightening an eye loop of a fishhook.